Executive Summary

Our group project was the Compaq IJ600 color printer. We were assigned to disassemble, analyze, and reassemble the printer and all its respective components. Using the information we obtained from this entire process, our task was to implement some design enhancements and possible improvements to the printer. We meticulously recorded every piece that was removed and documented the few tools that were used. The product was an inkjet printer that was relatively easy to disassemble, though we ran into some problems.

Introduction

The product our group was tasked with disassembling was a simple desktop printer. The Compaq IJ 600 is single function inkjet printer. The intended use was for common household medium to low volume printing. The IJ 600 can print in both color and black ink due to separate cartridges. The Compaq IJ 600 has a 100-sheet paper tray for storing paper for print jobs. It can be connected to the computer via a Parallel port or a USB B-type connection.

Group Members

Sameer Parikh

Kevin King

Casey Jacobs

Chris Martensen

Johnnie Pacifico

Before Disassembly

The Compaq Model IJ600 printer was in fairly good condition when we received it. The top casing had a broken knob on one end, but didn’t have a substantial effect on the printer’s appearance or the operation of the casing. It was a little dirty, but that was expected considering how long ago the printer was made. When we opened it up, it looked as if the dissection would be difficult. However upon further examination, the weird shapes of the parts created the illusion that there were more components than there actually were. There ended up being more screws than anything else. All in all, the printer consisted of about 25 to 30 screws and about 20 actual parts. It seems there are only three or four different types of materials used. The metal brace located inside towards the back was aluminum. The paper rollers and some screws seemed to be manufactured out of steel. Other screws, which varied in color, could have been made out of bronze. A belt that was part of the ink cartridge moving system was made out of rubber. The rest of the components, including the casing, trays, ink cartridges, ink cartridge holder, gears, and other little minor components were made out of plastic.

Although the printer did not function when we received it due to the missing power cord, it was easy to see how the printer would work when we removed the top casing. First, the printer’s circuit boards receive information from the computer about the image or text to be printer. The circuit boards then distribute information to the appropriate motors, gears, and the ink cartridges. The first action is the translation from electrical energy to mechanical energy by the first of two paper rollers. When it is time to print, the first roller catches the paper from the top loading section and pushes it through to the second roller. The second roller then grabs the paper and pushes it through underneath the ink cartridges in spurts. Simultaneously, the ink cartridges and the motors moving them process the information about the image to be printed. The motors move the ink cartridges back and forth as they expend little droplets of ink on the page in order to create the desired image. When a line of certain width has the correct ink pattern and density, the motor connected to the roller moves the paper just enough so that the ink cartridges can start printing the next line. This process continues until the entire image is correctly mirrored on the paper. Finally, the roller pushes the finished document out to the tray in the front of the printer.

Disassembly

Disassembly Process Table

Step

Process

Tool Used

Difficulty

1

Remove 7 Phillips-head screws

Phillips-head Screwdriver

Easy, 1 Screw Quite Difficult

2

Removed Rip Fence Bolt to Saw Blade Locking Lever

By Hand

Easy

3

Removed Removed Dust Blower Angle off of Dust Blower

By Hand

Easy

4

Removed Dust Blower and Rip Fence off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

5

Removed Rip Fence off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

6

Removed Plastic Blade Guard off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

7

Removed Casing off of Casing

Philips-head Screwdriver

Moderately Easy

8

Removed Gel Max Comfort Grip off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

9

Removed Shoe Plate Locking Gear off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

10

Removed Shoe Plate Locking Knob off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

11

Removed Trigger Switch off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

12

Removed Lock on Button off of Trigger Switch

By Hand

Easy

13

Removed Lock Spring off of Lock on Button

Flat-head Screwdriver

Easy

14

Removed Plastic Lock Washers off of Lock on Button

Flat Head Screwdriver

Moderately Difficult

15

Removed Switch Breaker off of Trigger Switch

By Hand

Easy

16

Removed 2 Cord Clamp Screws off of Cord Clamp off of Casing

Phillips-head Screwdriver

Easy

17

Removed Red Motor Connecting Wire off of Spring Loaded Graphite

By Hand

Easy

18

Removed Black Motor Connecting Wire from Spring Loaded Graphite

By Hand

Easy

19

Disassembled Spring Loaded Graphite Internals

By Hand

Easy

20

Removed Motor Screw From Casing

Philips-head Screwdriver

Easy

21

Removed Red Motor Connecting Wire From Armature

By Hand

Easy

22

Removed Black Motor Connecting Wire from Armature

By Hand

Easy

23

Removed Metal Gear From 1/4in. Plate

By Hand

Easy

24

Removed 1/4in. Metal Plate from Armature Shaft With Rotar

By Hand

Easy

25

Removed Small Metal Plate off of Armature Shaft With Rotar

By Hand

Easy

26

Removed Linear Oscillator from Metal Gear

By Hand

Easy

27

Removed Washer off of Gear from Metal Gear

By Hand

Easy

28

Removed Cylindrical Slider from Linear Oscillator

By Hand

Easy

After Disassembly

Part Table

Part #

Part Name

Quantity

Material and Reason for Choice of Material

Function

Manufacturing Process

Image

1

Cover Screws

4

Steel

Holds the cover in place so that the parts inside can work in order

Machined

2

Clips

4

Plastic

Lets the paper flow easier from the start to the end.

Machined

3

Ink Cartridge Holder

1

Plastic

To hold the cartridge in place.

Molded then Machined, and placed by hand

4

Top Roller

1

Plastic and metal for springs

Moves the paper from tray towards the ink cartridge

Injection Molded

5

Bottom Roller

1

Metal and rubber

Rolls with the help of the motor and brings the paper out with ease.

Injection Molded

6

Motherboard

1

Computer material

Takes information from the printer and prints off onto a paper.

Injection Molded, Machined

7

Gear Head

1

Metal and plastic

Turns all the rollers via a motor

Machined and Hand Processed

8

Motor

2

Metal

Runs off power cord to run the rollers and gear head

Injection Molded

9

Cartridge Holder

1

Plastic

Holds the cartridges in place, internally

Hand Processed

10

Cartridge Belt

1

Rubber

Helps move the ink cartridge back and forth.

Hand Processed

11

Back Case

1

Metal

Holds the motherboard rollers and other components in place.

Injection Molded

12

Shoe Plate Locking Knob

1

Plastic because it is cheap and easy to make and the part does not take much punishment

The person turns the knob with their fingers to lock the rip fence in place

It is a gear and knob with teeth to turn another gear to lock the rip fence in place

Injection Molded

13

Trigger Switch Component

1

Plastic, Copper, Steel, Aluminum because all these are need to get current to flow through it into the motor

To control rate of flow of current to the motor

It is made so there is a constant flow and path of a certain amount of current to the motor

Manufactured

14

Lock on Button

1

Plastic because it is cheap and easy to make and the part does not take much punishment

It locks the trigger so that it cannot turn the engine on

It has two sides so it can be pressed and a small dash in the middle so it can block the trigger

Injection Molded

15

Lock Spring

1

Steel to make a durable and strong spring

It helps make moving the locking trigger easier

It is made in the spring shape to force an object in one direction

Manufactured

16

Plastic Lock Washers

2

Plastic because they do not get much force on them and it is cheap to make

It is to be put on either side of the spring and holding it there

It is made to hold the spring so it will not slip and be wide enough so all the force will be transfered

Injection Molded

17

Switch Breaker

1

Aluminum because it is conductive to metal and will melt breaking the circuit if to much current flows through

A circuit breaker that causes the jigsaw to stop working of too much current starts to flow through it

It is cheap and melts at relatively low temperatures and can handle current going through it

Machined

18

Cord Clamp Screws

2

Steel because they need to be durable and withstand the torque and shear force

To push down on the cord clamp to hold the cord in the casing

It was made to pull the cord clamp against the cord

Machined

19

Cord Clamp

1

Steel because it needs to be strong and is pushed against things

The screws push on it and then it in turn pushes on the cord to keep it in the casing

it was made that way to push evenly on the cord and near flat to save on manufacturing costs

Injection Molded, Machined

20

Red Motor-connecting Wire

1

Rubber and Copper which are great insulating and conducting properties

It conducts electricity from the trigger to the motor

It is made to conduct electricity as efficiently as possible and the rubber to insulate it

Manufactured

21

Black Motor-connecting Wire

1

Rubber and Copper which are great insulating and conducting properties

It conducts electricity from the trigger to the motor

It is made to conduct electricity as efficiently as possible and the rubber to insulate it

Manufactured

22

Spring Loaded Brushes

2

Plastic, Copper, Graphite because they are what is used for a AC to DC motor

It changes electricity from AC to DC

It is made because those materials are needed for the translation of AC to DC

Manufactured

23

Motor Screw

1

Steel because of high stress and torque put on it

It helps hold the motor to the casing

It pulls the motor onto the casing and holds it there

Machined

24

Armature

1

Steel, Copper, ABS Plastic to be durable and cheap

This part is the inside of the motor and a fan to keep the sawdust away

They are all made to do each job as efficiently as possible

Machined

25

Metal Gear

1

Steel for it's durability

It is turned by the motor and spins

It is a gear and helps turn other parts of the jigsaw

Machined

26

1/4 Inch Metal Plate

1

Steel for it's durability

Helps keep everything in place

It was made thick and strong due the vibrations and forces that act upon it

Machined

27

Small Metal Plate

1

Steel for durability

To help hold everything in place

Made thin because it vibrates and is used to protect the large plate from abrasion with a large amount of grease between each of them

Machined

28

Armature Shaft with Rotor

1

Steel, Copper, ABS Plastic, Tape

Part of the motor that alternates to turn the inside causing the rotation

Made to turn electrical energy into mechanical energy

Machined

29

Linear Oscillator

1

Steel for durability

Oscilates up and down moving the blade

In this form it is highly durable and can move easily

Machined

30

Washer off of Gear

1

Steel for durability

Moves inside the hole on the linear oscillator and pushes on it in a vertical direction

It is formed this way to fit in the linear oscillators hole and have the least amount of friction possible

Machined

31

Cylindrical Slider

2

Steel for durability

This is to align the linear oscillator to keep it in line and moving up and down

It is made to be simple and cheap but still strong enough to deal with the friction

Machined

32

Blade Changing Piece

1

Plastic for durability and to keep cost down

It pulls up the springs and the blade holder to allow the old blade to fall out and put the new blade in

It just needs to endure a momentary pull of the finger so it is not thick or strong

Injection Molded

33

Blade Changing Component

1

Steel for durability

It holds the springs and blade changing piece and pushes down on the blade to keep it in place with help of the springs

It is built for the least use of materials and just enough to do what it needs to do.

Cast

34

Blade Changing Spring

2

Steel for durability

It pulls the blade changing component onto the blade holding it in place

It is built to have a large amount of force behind it to endure the fast rate at which the blade is moved

Manufactured

35

Alan Wrench Screw

2

Steel for durability

It holds all of the blade changing components in place

It is built to pull to objects together

Machined

36

Felt Piece

1

Felt for shock absorption

This to absorb any impact the motor may hit linear oscillator wiht

It is minimally built to cover the area's that may be hit

Manufactured

Reassembly

Reassembly Process Table

Step

Process

Tool Used

Difficulty

1

Remove 7 Phillips-head screws

Phillips-head Screwdriver

Easy, 1 Screw Quite Difficult

2

Removed Rip Fence Bolt to Saw Blade Locking Lever

By Hand

Easy

3

Removed Removed Dust Blower Angle off of Dust Blower

By Hand

Easy

4

Removed Dust Blower and Rip Fence off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

5

Removed Rip Fence off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

6

Removed Plastic Blade Guard off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

7

Removed Casing off of Casing

Philips-head Screwdriver

Moderately Easy

8

Removed Gel Max Comfort Grip off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

9

Removed Shoe Plate Locking Gear off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

10

Removed Shoe Plate Locking Knob off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

11

Removed Trigger Switch off of Casing

By Hand

Easy

12

Removed Lock on Button off of Trigger Switch

By Hand

Easy

13

Removed Lock Spring off of Lock on Button

Flat-head Screwdriver

Easy

14

Removed Plastic Lock Washers off of Lock on Button

Flat Head Screwdriver

Moderately Difficult

15

Removed Switch Breaker off of Trigger Switch

By Hand

Easy

16

Removed 2 Cord Clamp Screws off of Cord Clamp off of Casing

Phillips-head Screwdriver

Easy

17

Removed Red Motor Connecting Wire off of Spring Loaded Graphite

By Hand

Easy

18

Removed Black Motor Connecting Wire from Spring Loaded Graphite

By Hand

Easy

19

Disassembled Spring Loaded Graphite Internals

By Hand

Easy

20

Removed Motor Screw From Casing

Philips-head Screwdriver

Easy

21

Removed Red Motor Connecting Wire From Armature

By Hand

Easy

22

Removed Black Motor Connecting Wire from Armature

By Hand

Easy

23

Removed Metal Gear From 1/4in. Plate

By Hand

Easy

24

Removed 1/4in. Metal Plate from Armature Shaft With Rotar

By Hand

Easy

25

Removed Small Metal Plate off of Armature Shaft With Rotar

By Hand

Easy

26

Removed Linear Oscillator from Metal Gear

By Hand

Easy

27

Removed Washer off of Gear from Metal Gear

By Hand

Easy

28

Removed Cylindrical Slider from Linear Oscillator

By Hand

Easy

After Reassembly

Since we were not given a power cord, we could not test whether the printer worked initially or after reassembly. The product was designed very well for its purpose. However, we still came up with a few improvements that could be made to the printer. For starters, there were many different types of screws. If they were all the same type of screw, assembly and disassembly would be easier and would only require one tool instead of several screw drivers. Second, it seemed like there was a lot of unnecessary space that wasn’t utilized by parts or components. Minimizing space would make for less material needed, and the product would also be smaller in size and not as bulky. A third improvement would be to implement automatic reverse side printing to be able to print double sided pages and save paper. Our last improvement we considered was to change from ink jet printing to laser jet printing. Ink jet is cheaper initially, but laser jet printing is faster, cheaper in the long run, and prints better quality. Overall, the task of creating a simple, cheap, household printer was accomplished by Compaq.